Compact Air Conditioning Device

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a compact air conditioning device for a railroad equipment house or highway traffic control device. The device is primarily comprised of a housing with an interior space that preferably houses at least one air-conditioning unit with multiple features. A supply grate in the front wall of the housing can be routed into the equipment house such that the air-conditioning unit delivers cool air into the equipment house. The operation of the air-conditioning unit may be controlled by a remote or automatically controlled via at least one sensor. The air-conditioning unit may further be powered by at least one solar panel.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S.Provisional Application No. 63/232,261, which was filed on Aug. 12,2021, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to the field of airconditioners. More specifically, the present invention relates to acompact air conditioning device for a railroad equipment house or roadtraffic control device. The device is primarily comprised of a housingwith an interior space that preferably houses at least oneair-conditioning unit with multiple features. A supply grate in thefront wall of the housing can be routed into the equipment house suchthat the air-conditioning unit delivers cool air into the equipmenthouse. The operation of the air-conditioning unit may be controlled by aremote or automatically controlled via at least one sensor. Theair-conditioning unit may further be powered by at least one solarpanel. Accordingly, the present disclosure makes specific referencethereto. Nonetheless, it is to be appreciated that aspects of thepresent invention are also equally applicable to other likeapplications, devices, and methods of manufacture.

BACKGROUND

Equipment houses, including railroad equipment housings used byrailroads and highway traffic control devices housed in equipmentcabinets on roadsides and elsewhere, are small structures positionedalong railroads/highways. An equipment house typically storeselectronics used to control the railroad/highway. In the summer, anequipment house can become exceptionally hot. When hot, the electronicsin an equipment house may overheat, resulting in shorter service lifeand/or causing them to malfunction. This is undesirable as it canincrease costs of operation by requiring early replacement of componentsand, in the case of malfunction, create safety and emergency repairissues by rendering the underlying railroad/highway switch, control orsafety equipment inoperable. Further, equipment houses have limitedspace. As a result, devices like portable air conditioners cannot beused to cool an equipment house due to their size.

Therefore, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a novel coolingdevice for an equipment house. There also exists a long-felt need in theart for a compact air conditioning device that cools an equipment houseto prevent electronics within the equipment house from overheating.Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a compact airconditioning device that uses limited space within an equipment house.In addition, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a compact airconditioning device that offers additional features beyond the featuresof existing portable AC units.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises a compact air conditioning device. The device isprimarily comprised of a housing with an interior space that preferablyhouses at least one air-conditioning unit with multiple features. Thehousing can be attached to the exterior of an equipment house via atleast one flange and at least one fastener. A supply grate in the frontwall of the housing can be routed into the equipment house such that theair-conditioning unit delivers cool air into the equipment house. Theoperation of the air-conditioning unit may be controlled by a remote orautomatically controlled via at least one sensor. The air-conditioningunit may further be powered by at least one solar panel. The unit mayalso circulate air via a fan function and/or dehumidify air.

In this manner, the compact air conditioning device of the presentinvention accomplishes all of the foregoing objectives and provides anovel cooling device for an equipment house that cools an equipmenthouse to prevent electronics within the equipment house fromoverheating. Further, the device uses limited space within an equipmenthouse via the grate. In addition, the device offers additional featuresbeyond the features of existing portable AC units.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide a basicunderstanding of some aspects of the disclosed innovation. This summaryis not an extensive overview, and it is not intended to identifykey/critical elements or to delineate the scope thereof. Its solepurpose is to present some general concepts in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

The subject matter disclosed and claimed herein, in one embodimentthereof, comprises a compact air conditioning device. The device isprimarily comprised of a housing with an interior space that preferablyhouses at least one air-conditioning unit with multiple features. Thedevice is intended to be used to provide air to an on-site equipmenthouse to prevent electronics and batteries within the equipment housefrom overheating.

The housing is comprised of at least one flange, preferably positionedon the front wall and/or sidewalls, wherein at least one fastener can bedriven through the flange to secure the housing to an exterior wall ofan equipment house. The interior space of the housing may have asingular interior space that houses the air-conditioning unit. Theinterior space may be lined with at least one insulation layer. Thefront wall of the housing is further comprised of at least one supplygrate and at least one return grate.

After being secured to the exterior of an equipment house, the gratesare positioned inside the equipment house via creating (i.e., drillingor cutting) at least two holes through the equipment house through whichthe grates can enter the equipment house. As a result, cool air suppliedby the air-conditioning unit can flow into the equipment house via thesupply grate and can be re-circulated into the unit via the returngrate. The rear wall and/or side walls may further be comprised of atleast one supply air opening that is covered by at least one grate andat least one return air opening that is covered by at least one grate.

In differing embodiments, the air-conditioning unit may have a pluralityof functions such as a fan function to circulate air within theequipment house, a dehumidifier function to dehumidify air within theequipment house, and an air condition function to cool air within theequipment house. Said functions can be controlled by a remote that is inwireless electrical communication with the unit.

A battery of the device powers the air-conditioning unit. The batterymay receive power from a power source such as, but not limited to, awall outlet via a 110V/240V plug. The battery may also receive powerfrom at least one solar panel position on the exterior of the housing.

Accordingly, the compact air conditioning device of the presentinvention is particularly advantageous as it provides a compact airconditioning device that cools an equipment house to prevent electronicswithin the equipment house from overheating. Advantageously, the deviceuses limited space within an equipment house. Furthermore, the deviceoffers additional features beyond the features of existing portable ACunits. In this manner, the compact air conditioning device overcomes thelimitations of existing AC units known in the art.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, certainillustrative aspects of the disclosed innovation are described herein inconnection with the following description and the annexed drawings.These aspects are indicative, however, of but a few of the various waysin which the principles disclosed herein can be employed and areintended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Otheradvantages and novel features will become apparent from the followingdetailed description when considered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The description refers to provided drawings in which similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and inwhich:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of one potential embodiment of acompact air conditioning device of the present invention while attachedto an equipment house in accordance with the disclosed architecture;

FIG. 2 illustrates a front cross-sectional view of one potentialembodiment of a compact air conditioning device of the present inventionwhile attached to an equipment house in accordance with the disclosedarchitecture; and

FIG. 3 illustrates a partially exploded, front perspective view of onepotential embodiment of a compact air conditioning device of the presentinvention in accordance with the disclosed architecture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, whereinlike reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout.In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovationcan be practiced without these specific details. In other instances,well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form inorder to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments arediscussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are describedonly to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are notintended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limitthe scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment neednot have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in otherembodiments, any of the features described herein from differentembodiments may be combined.

As noted above, there is a long-felt need in the art for a novel coolingdevice for an equipment house. There also exists a long-felt need in theart for a compact air conditioning device that cools an equipment houseto prevent electronics within the equipment house from overheating.Further, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a compact airconditioning device that uses limited space within an equipment house.In addition, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a compact airconditioning device that offers additional features beyond the featuresof existing portable AC units.

The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is comprised of acompact air conditioning device primarily comprised of a housing with aninterior space that preferably houses at least one air-conditioning unitwith multiple features. The device is intended to be used to provide airto an on-site equipment house to prevent electronics and batterieswithin the equipment house from overheating.

The housing is comprised of at least one flange preferably positioned onthe front wall and/or sidewalls wherein at least one fastener can bedriven through the flange to secure the housing to an exterior wall ofan equipment house. The interior space of the housing may have asingular interior space that houses the air-conditioning unit. Theinterior space may be lined with at least one insulation layer. Thefront wall of the housing is further comprised of at least one supplygrate and at least one return grate wherein the grates are positionedinside the equipment house via creating (i.e., drilling or cutting) atleast two holes through the equipment house through which the grates canenter the equipment house. As a result, cool air supplied by theair-conditioning unit can flow into the equipment house via the supplygrate and can be re-circulated into the unit via the return grate. Therear wall and/or side walls may further be comprised of at least onesupply air opening that is covered by at least one grate and at leastone return air opening that is covered by at least one grate.

The air-conditioning unit may have a plurality of functions such as afan function to circulate air within the equipment house, a dehumidifierfunction to dehumidify air within the equipment house, and an airconditioner function to cool air within the equipment house. Saidfunctions can be controlled by a remote that is in wireless electricalcommunication with the unit.

A battery of the device powers the air-conditioning unit. The batterymay receive power from a power source such as, but not limited to, awall outlet via a 110V/240V plug. The battery may also receive powerfrom at least one solar panel positioned on the exterior of the housing.

Accordingly, the compact air conditioning device of the presentinvention is particularly advantageous as it provides a compact airconditioning device that cools an equipment house to prevent electronicswithin the equipment house from overheating. Advantageously, the deviceuses limited space within an equipment house. Furthermore, the deviceoffers additional features beyond the features of existing portable ACunits. In this manner, the compact air conditioning device overcomes thelimitations of existing AC units known in the art.

Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspectiveview of one potential embodiment of a compact air conditioning device100 of the present invention while attached to an equipment house 10 inaccordance with the disclosed architecture. The device 100 is primarilycomprised of a housing 110 with an interior space 120 that preferablyhouses at least one air-conditioning unit 200 with multiple features.Unless otherwise specified herein, all components of the housing 110 arepreferably made from a durable metal such as, but not limited to,stainless steel, galvanized steel, or aluminum that is preferablywaterproof and corrosion resistant.

In the preferred embodiment, the housing 110 is rectangular in shape andis comprised of a top wall 130, a bottom wall 140, a front wall 150, arear wall 160, and two side walls 190 that together form an interiorspace 20. All walls 130,140,150,160,190 may be removably attached to oneanother using any fastening means known in the art, or fixedly attachedvia welds, adhesive, etc. The device 100 is intended to be used toprovide air to an on-site equipment house 10 to prevent electronics andbatteries within the equipment house 10 from overheating. The housing110 is comprised of at least one flange 156 preferably positioned on thefront wall 150 and/or sidewalls 190. At least one fastener 158 can bedriven through the flange 156 to secure the housing 110 to an exteriorwall of an equipment house 10. In differing embodiments, the fastener158 may be any fastener type such as, but not limited to, bolt, nail,screw, magnet, etc.

FIG. 2 illustrates a front cross-sectional view of one potentialembodiment of a compact air conditioning device 100 of the presentinvention while attached to an equipment house in accordance with thedisclosed architecture. The interior space 120 of the housing 110 mayhave a singular interior space that houses the air-conditioning unit200. In a differing embodiment, the interior space 120 is comprised ofat least one return air chamber 122 and at least one air conditioningchamber 124. Each chamber 122,124 and/or the entire interior space 120may be lined with at least one insulation layer 126. The insulationlayer 126 may be comprised of any insulation type known in the art suchas, but not limited to, a cellulose insulation, a fiberglass insulation,a mineral wool insulation, etc., such that the chambers 122,124, and/orhousing 110 remains insulated from outside heat. The chambers 122,124and housing 110 may further be airtight. The air-conditioning unit 200may be positioned within the air conditioning chamber 124.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partially exploded, front perspective view of onepotential embodiment of a compact air conditioning device 100 of thepresent invention in accordance with the disclosed architecture. Thefront wall 150 is further comprised of at least one supply grate 152 andat least one return grate 154. After being secured to the exterior of anequipment house 10, the grates 152,154 are positioned inside theequipment house 10 via creating (i.e., drilling or cutting) at least twoholes through the equipment house 10 through which the grates 152,154can enter the equipment house 10. As a result, cool air supplied by theair-conditioning unit 200 can flow into the equipment house 10 via thesupply grate 152 and can be re-circulated into the unit 200 via thereturn grate. Both grates 152,154 may be any grate type known in the artand can be opened, closed, and have adjustable airflow.

The rear wall 160 and/or side walls 190 may further be comprised of atleast one supply air opening 170 that is covered by at least one grate172 and at least one return air opening 180 that is covered by at leastone grate 182. Both grates 172,182 may be any grate type known in theart and can be opened, closed, and adjusted. The supply air opening 170allows outside air to flow into the housing 110 to be used by theair-conditioning unit 200. The return air opening 180 allows excessreturn air to be expelled from the housing 110 as needed.

In differing embodiments, the air-conditioning unit 200 may have aplurality of functions. Said functions include a fan function tocirculate air within the equipment house 10, a dehumidifier function todehumidify air within the equipment house 10, and an air conditioningfunction to cool air within the equipment house 10. The air-conditioningunit 200 preferably has all conventional features of air-conditioningunits known in the art. In a further embodiment, the unit 200 may have aheating feature to heat the air within the equipment house 10.

The functions of the unit 200 are preferably controlled by at least oneremote 220 with at least one button 222 and that is powered by at leastone battery 226. At least one receiver 224 of the remote 220 is inwireless electrical communication with at least one transmitter 206 ofthe unit 200. The wireless communication method can include but is notlimited to Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, radiofrequency, etc. The remote 220preferably has a button 222 that allows the unit 200 to be turned on andoff. The remote 220 further preferably has a button that allows thefunction of the unit 200 (as described above) to be selected. A button222 may also allow a user to program the unit 200 to run for a specificduration of time (i.e., hours, time of day, duration of days, etc.) anddo so using a specific function.

In one embodiment, the unit 200 may be comprised of at least one sensor208 positioned outside or inside the housing 110 and powered by thebattery 202. The sensor 208 may be a temperature sensor thatautomatically powers on the unit 200 with the cooling function if thetemperature detected within the equipment house 10 or outside the device100 exceeds a programmable (via the remote 200) temperature. In thismanner, the device 100 can operate automatically as needed to cool theequipment house. If the temperature detected within the equipment house10 or outside the device 100 is below the programmable temperature, theunit 200 may automatically use the fan function as cooling is notneeded. The sensor 208 may also be a humidity sensor that automaticallyuses the dehumidifier function of the unit 200 if the humiditypercentage detected within the equipment house 10 or outside the device100 exceeds a programmable (via the remote 200) humidity percentage.

The unit 200 is powered by at least one battery 202. The battery 202 maybe a disposable battery 202 or a rechargeable battery 202 in the form ofan alkaline, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride battery 202, etc.,such as any 3V-12volts DC battery 202 or other conventional battery 202such as A, AA, AAA, etc., that supplies power to the device 100.Throughout this specification the terms “battery” and “batteries” may beused interchangeably to refer to one or more wet or dry cells orbatteries 202 of cells in which chemical energy is converted intoelectricity and used as a source of DC power. References to rechargingor replacing batteries 202 may refer to recharging or replacingindividual cells, individual batteries 202 of cells, or a package ofmultiple battery cells as is appropriate for any given battery 202technology that may be used.

In one embodiment, the battery 202 receives power via at least one maleor female power cord 210 that can be plugged into an existing powersource within an equipment house 110 such as, but not limited to, a110V/240V power outlet. In a differing embodiment, the battery 202 canreceive power from at least one solar panel 204 positioned on the outersurface 112 of the housing 110 outside the housing 110. The solar panel204 may be comprised of, but not limited to, monocrystalline silicon,polycrystalline silicon, or a photovoltaic cell film.

Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claimsto refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the artwill appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature orcomponent by different names. This document does not intend todistinguish between components or features that differ in name but notstructure or function. As used herein “compact air conditioning device”and “device” are interchangeable and refer to the compact airconditioning device 100 of the present invention.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the compact air conditioning device 100of the present invention and its various components can be of anysuitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affectingthe overall concept of the invention, provided that they accomplish theabove-stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that the size, configuration, and material of the compact airconditioning device 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrativepurposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the compact airconditioning device 100 are well within the scope of the presentdisclosure. Although the dimensions of the compact air conditioningdevice 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, thecompact air conditioning device 100 may be of any size, shape and/orconfiguration that ensures optimal performance during use and/or thatsuits the user’s needs and/or preferences.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplaryembodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the presentinvention. While the embodiments described above refer to particularfeatures, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments havingdifferent combinations of features and embodiments that do not includeall of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the presentinvention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications,and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with allequivalents thereof.

What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subjectmatter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivablecombination of components or methodologies for purposes of describingthe claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art mayrecognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimedsubject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter isintended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variationsthat fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.Furthermore, to the extent that the term “includes” is used in eitherthe detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to beinclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising” as “comprising”is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

What is claimed is:
 1. A compact air conditioning device comprising: ahousing having an interior space; a supply grate; a return grate; asupply air opening; a return air opening; an air-conditioning unit; anda battery.
 2. The compact air conditioning device of claim 1, whereinthe housing is comprised of an insulation layer.
 3. The compact airconditioning device of claim 2, wherein the insulation layer is acellulose insulation, a fiberglass insulation, or a mineral woolinsulation.
 4. The compact air conditioning device of claim 1, whereinthe housing is comprised of a galvanized steel material.
 5. A compactair conditioning device comprising: a housing comprised of an interiorspace and a flange; a supply grate; a return grate; a supply airopening; a return air opening; a remote; an air-conditioning unit; and abattery.
 6. The compact air conditioning device of claim 5, wherein theremote controls a function of the air-conditioning unit.
 7. The compactair conditioning device of claim 5, wherein the remote can be used toprogram the air-conditioning unit to run for a duration of time.
 8. Thecompact air conditioning device of claim 5, wherein the interior spaceis comprised of a return air chamber.
 9. The compact air conditioningdevice of claim 5, wherein an air-conditioning chamber is positioned inthe interior space.
 10. The compact air conditioning device of claim 9,wherein the air-conditioning unit is positioned within theair-conditioning chamber.
 11. A compact air conditioning devicecomprising: a housing comprised of an interior space and a flange; asupply grate; a return grate; a supply air opening; a solar panel; aremote having a button; a return air opening; an air-conditioning unit;and a battery.
 12. The compact air conditioning device of claim 11,wherein a transmitter of the air-conditioning unit is in wirelesselectrical communication with a receiver of the remote.
 13. The compactair conditioning device of claim 11, wherein the solar panel providespower to the battery.
 14. The compact air conditioning device of claim13, wherein the solar panel is positioned on an outer surface of thehousing.
 15. The compact air conditioning device of claim 11, whereinthe air-conditioning unit has a fan function to circulate air.
 16. Thecompact air conditioning device of claim 11, wherein theair-conditioning unit has an air condition function to cool air.
 17. Thecompact air conditioning device of claim 11, wherein theair-conditioning unit has a dehumidifier function to dehumidify air. 18.The compact air conditioning device of claim 11 further comprised of asensor.
 19. The compact air conditioning device of claim 18, wherein thesensor is a temperature sensor.
 20. The compact air conditioning deviceof claim 19, wherein activation of the sensor powers on the airconditioning unit.